Compliments Will Get You Everywhere
by MagicGirlinAMuggleWorld
Summary: Just James and Lily enjoying themselves early in the morning on Harry's first birthday. Sweet and sexy-ish without actual sex.


James awoke early on the morning of July 31, 1981, even before the baby did. That was rare – Harry liked to wake with the sun, and had recently learnt to climb out of his crib, so these days James often woke to his son babbling at him or prodding him in the face or, once, sitting on his chest. Today, the young father basked in the toddler-free moment, then glanced over at his sleeping wife.

The mature, thoughtful part of James' brain considered that he ought to let Lily get as much sleep as she could, but that part of his brain was soon distracted by the pleasure he took in her. Not that he _meant_ to wake her up, necessarily, it was just that he wanted to enjoy, did enjoy, everything about her – the auburn strands that had come loose from her braid and were now plastered to her cheek, the remnants of a smile on her lips, the way her eyelids twitched as she slept, and that one freckle on her neck, right at the corner of her jaw. And the longer he watched her, the more he thought he should probably just kiss that spot, just once.

So he did, and then kissed it a second time, and a third. Lily murmured something indiscernible, but her hands found their way into James' thick, unruly hair, and so of course he had to continue kissing her neck, and then follow a trail down her throat to her collarbone, and then on to her chest. Still barely awake, Lily made another satisfied sound and hooked a leg around James' waist, pulling him closer to her.

His whole body responded to her motion, and he gently rolled them over so he was on top of her. He began to work his mouth back up towards her face, kissing her neck, her jaw, her ear, her cheek and, then, as she opened her eyes, her forehead. "Good morning, Mrs. Potter," he whispered, hovering over her.

"Morning, my love," she whispered back, blinking sleepily. "This is a pleasant way to wake up."

"Glad you think so." James kissed her nose.

"Hmm." Lily smiled and ran her hands along James' chest and up his neck to his face. She stroked his cheek tenderly, then lifted her head to give him a soft good morning kiss. "Where's Harry?" she asked, letting her head drop back to her pillow.

Now focused on nibbling Lily's left ear, James took a moment to answer. He paused only long enough to mutter, "Still sleeping, miracle of miracles," before returning dutifully to his task. His breath was warm and tickled her neck, and Lily shivered in response. James released her earlobe and grinned mischievously. "I thought we could use this rare moment of peace and quiet to make another."

Lily laughed and turned to fully face her husband, thereby moving her ear out of easy reach of his lips. James made a soft, disappointed sound, but Lily just smirked at him, her eyebrows raised in question. "So you want another baby now, eh?"

James' hazel eyes twinkled merrily. "Look at us, we've kept this one alive for a full year! We've figured out what he eats, haven't lost him anywhere, no major injuries to us _or_ him. We're doing great! He's practically perfect."

At that, Lily smiled. "He is, isn't it?" She sighed contentedly. "But," she added, poking James teasingly, " _you're_ only saying that because he's a miniature version of you! I expect you want an army full of tiny James Potters running around here, terrorizing the cat and learning pranks at the feet of the master?"

"Ah, that's where you're wrong, love." James settled in beside Lily and brushed back the flyaway hairs that framed her face. He looked at her in that way that she loved, like he still couldn't believe she was real and she was there with him, and he kissed her forehead again. "Yes, Harry is already a master of mischief, and with my help, he'll only get better. But _I_ think he's nearly perfect because he reminds me of _you_."

Lily scoffed, but the smile never left her face. "Oh, you're good, Potter." She grabbed the back of his head and kissed him fiercely.

James chuckled as he pulled away. "Good enough to shag my beautiful wife on this fine summer morning?" He raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

Lily laughed, too. "Yes, darling, that good. Come here, and let's make a baby."

...

AN: A sweet, sexy-ish one-shot I wrote for Harry's birthday a couple years ago. A little bittersweet if it were canon, but let's stay in the moment! Hope you enjoy :-)


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